Chapter 23
04. Revenge?!
While Daphne was struggling in the collapsed building, Heros had been out for a while with his adjutant Polin. An unidentified monster appeared in the Perry River that runs through the center of the capital or something like that.
Originally, it should have been the job of the Guardians, the capital defense force, but due to monsters appearing simultaneously, Heros had no choice but to be dragged into it.
“Annoying.”
Heros muttered, leaving behind the piled-up monster corpses. He yawned and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Wow. How many is this in total? One, two, three… six. They look weird too. What is this? It’s so messed up I can’t even recognize the form.”
To Polin’s question as she scribbled in her notebook, Heros answered with a nonchalant face.
“Chimera, probably.”
“Chimera? The one synthesized from multiple monsters?”
“Yeah.”
At those words, Polin pushed up her glasses and examined the mangled corpses closely.
Then, indeed, joint parts could be seen on the arms or tails.
Oh my god! Polin covered her mouth and stepped back.
“It seems like it escaped from some lab. Since the imperial family hasn’t said anything, it’s probably an unauthorized experiment subject.”
“But if caught, it’s the death penalty, right?”
“Guys who make this kind of monstrosity don’t value their own lives much.”
“Hmm.”
Polin scratched her head with her pen.
“I’m not in this field so I don’t know well, but at a glance, it looks like a very well-made monster. And no uniformity either. Seeing they’re not identical means there are tons of these chimeras.”
“I won’t do it. Annoying. Just leave it to the Guardians and it’s done.”
“No, I’m curious who did this!”
Heros, who had been startled at the thought of it backfiring on him, slightly frowned. He too had some guesses while slaying the monsters.
“If it’s guys who would do this,”
Heros said, slanting his sword over his shoulder.
“It would be those black mages.”
“Oh my god. As expected! Those crazies are still causing trouble! Why aren’t they dead yet and still alive!”
Recalling the past fight between the black mages and Heros, Polin shuddered her shoulders and shouted.
“Th, this isn’t all, right? This is the end, right?”
“This is probably the start. But I won’t step in. Dealing with those black mage bastards is tiresome now too.”
Heros replied calmly, but Polin could guess what kind of feelings he had.
Because of that black mage’s curse, he lost his wife and even his child was affected… He probably doesn’t want to deal with them anymore. Polin tore up and burned the report she was writing.
“Then shall we head back now? Seems no more monsters.”
“Yeah.”
Heros sheathed his sword and turned his feet. The corpses and such, the Guardians would handle, so no need to worry about that far. Since he properly carried out the order, now just go back and it’s done.
As he was stepping onto the carriage with such thoughts,
Kwa-gwa-gwang!
An enormous explosion sound struck his ears. The ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
“Excellency!”
Polin, who hurriedly cast a defensive spell on Heros, scanned the surroundings.
Then, not far away, pitch-black smoke could be seen rising.
And an enormous vibration of magic power. This is definitely…!
“Aaak! It’s those guys again! Aaaaak!”
Aura of death. In other words, black magic.
Polin clutched the back of her neck in despair.
“How about we just go back and play dumb that we don’t know?”
That’s not a bad method either. The order given to Heros was to exterminate monsters, not to block a sudden black magic terror.
But there was a problem.
“That place where the smoke is rising.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t it the Pinch Marquis household?”
Polin unfolded the magic map that records the magic power flows across the entire capital in real time.
The place marked with a black dot of black magic traces was, as Heros said, the Pinch Marquis household.
“Yes, it is. But what big deal would there be? They have quite a few knights there too.”
“Daphne went there today.”
“Ah. The youngest lady is there… Yes?! How did you know that?”
Leaving behind Polin who shrieked, Heros turned his feet.
“Excellency! Wait a moment! Where are you going! Excellency aaaak!”
Black smoke was soaring as if to fill the sky. Heros’s footsteps quickened even more.
***
“Wow, shit.”
Daphne let out a sigh while looking at the room already filled with smoke.
From the moment she rushed in, the escape route was already blocked, so first rescue the child and then find a way out.
Daphne activated her ki sense to grasp the surroundings.
Originally, she could have grasped it without effort, but the current Daphne is a pitiful human with weak magic power.
She had to adjust her ki sense even more meticulously and sensitively.
‘Where are you…’
Due to the acrid smoke, Daphne’s mind was also on the verge of wavering, but she didn’t back down. Daphne bit the inside flesh of her mouth hard and concentrated her mind.
‘Here!’
And soon she found the child huddled under the table. Daphne quickly ran toward that side.
“You! Why aren’t you coming out and staying here like this!”
Then, the child who had been huddled and sobbing lifted her head slightly.
Surprisingly, the child was Brysa Pinch.
“D, Lady Daphne?”
Brysa reached her hand toward the savior who appeared before her eyes.
“Khung! I, I, le, legs are crushed…! Uwaaaang!”
Brysa too, the moment the explosion sounded, had prioritized evacuating the children, but in the process, her legs got crushed by debris.
Daphne, roughly grasping the situation, panted and checked Brysa’s legs.
“At this level, I think I can lift it. Now, when I lift, pull your legs out.”
“Hueung, y, yes!”
“One, two… three!”
Daphne lifted the debris with all her might. The moment she applied force, she felt this damn body enter an exhausted state, but she endured. Because only I who can move can save this child.
“Kyaaak! Lady Daphne! I, I came out! It’s okay now!”
Kudung!
After confirming Brysa had escaped, Daphne finally released her strength.
Because she lifted the debris with bare hands, her palms were all scraped and blood was flowing profusely. And strength drained from both arms, giving a tattered feeling.
“Wh, what to do. Ar, are you okay? It looks really painful…!”
“Worry about your legs more than me.”
“But…!”
Daphne shook her head and then placed her hand on top of Brysa’s head.
“As expected of my subordinate, you evacuated the people first. You did very well.”
“…Yes!”
Brysa swallowed the sobs rising with emotion and relief.
Who called Daphne Akion a bully? If they saw this now, no one would call her such a derogatory name.
Isn’t Daphne herself a saint!
She would never let go of this hand. Brysa sniffled and clung tightly to Daphne.
“Now we need to find a way out… Hm?”
At that moment, something entered Daphne’s ki sense.
An aura that’s somehow cold and somehow suspicious.
This can only be one thing for sure.
Daphne dragged Brysa and headed toward where the aura was felt.
“Lady Daphne? What are you… Huh?”
Brysa was puzzled but soon saw what Daphne found and her eyes widened.
A square device the size of a medium box.
At a glance, it seems like nothing, but the aura felt from the device was unusual.
Brysa was one of the children learning magic. So she couldn’t fail to recognize this aura.
“Th, this isn’t a bomb, is it?!”
“Damn it.”
Daphne felt the aura of death flowing from the device and held her forehead.
A bomb made with black magic explodes as an explosion, but at the same time spreads the aura of death, withering all life around—a fearsome terror weapon.
At this size, it had enough power to devour the entire marquis mansion.
“Wh, what… Ah, disassemble this…”
“Disassembling in this situation is impossible.”
Light faded from Brysa’s eyes.
“Then we… die? We die? Really?”
They say when too sad, even tears don’t come? Brysa felt such a sense of helplessness. Her legs lost strength, staggering and sitting down.
“…”
But Daphne judged the situation coldly. Ways to disassemble the black magic bomb… Hm?
‘Why would I disassemble this?’
The principle of black magic is using the yin energy from ‘death’.
What’s similar to yin energy? The karma of Selus, ‘disaster’.
In simple terms, to Selus, a black magic bomb is like a special treat… Huh?
‘If I absorb this, my magic power will increase?’
The corner of Daphne’s mouth lifted into a smirk.
A good idea came to mind. Daphne pushed the back of Brysa who was crying again.
“Go over there.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to detonate this.”
“Yes?!”
“When it explodes, thanks to the blast, we’ll be blown away. Use that gap to escape from here.”
“Ah, no. Then what about Lady Daphne?”
“I have to block this.”
“Yes?!”
Brysa looked at Daphne with an unbelievable expression, but Daphne had a face like why are you like that. Of course, Daphne had her own thoughts.
“No time for long talk. Since we have to move properly, brace yourself firmly.”
“No, Lady Daphne! It’s dangerous!”
How can she immediately choose to sacrifice herself?
Brysa, who knew nothing of Daphne’s plan, shouted to stop her, but Daphne pushed Brysa away and began injecting power into the bomb.
“Lady Daphne!”
Kwa-gwa-gwang!
An enormous explosive sound engulfed them.
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By Anna 💓
